2017 Torsten “Clear” Rybka

Torsten Tebogo Rybka, on stage is known as Clear. He is a lyricist, photographer, producer, mentor, and poet born in Ga-Rankuwa, South Africa and raised by his parents and siblings.

Since 2007 he has been part of and a leader in many art movements and poetry societies in the City of Tshwane, South Africa. In 2014, he started a poetry movement known as “U R WHAT U SPIT” with the aim to make social change through the medium of spoken word poetry and music.

In 2013 he released an EP consisting of 7 tracks (4 hip-hop tracks and 3 spoken word poems). That EP gave him a break through to perform on stages such as “The Night of the Poets” at the South African State Theatre, Department of Arts and Culture events, and other poetry movements in and around Tshwane. A year later he released a single spoken word track “Walk a mile in my shoes,” and in the following year released the hip-hop single “Why I Write.”

In 2016 Clear produced, directed, and performed in a feature-length poetry production titled “Speaking from Experience (Growth)” at the South African State Theatre, with accompaniment by a jazz band and four vocalists, as part of the poetry incubator program at the South African State Theatre. He is a rising star of Tshwane’s spoken word scene and in 2017 traveled to the United States for the first time to perform in and tour Washington, DC.

Clear’s DC Tour

April 18-30, 2017

Tues. April 18, 2017
8:40am (EST) Clear’s flight landed at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD). After dropping bags and relaxing a bit, he was ready to go out and explore the capital city of the United States. It started with a poetry salon with the Folger Shakespeare Library Foundation.

Poetry salon with Jane Hirshfield

At the poetry salon with the Folger Shakespeare Library Foundation he met special guest Jane Hirshfield.

Later that night he performed as the featured poet at the Busboys and Poets 14th & V Street Open Mic.

Busboys and Poets is a community gathering place. First established in 2005, Busboys and Poets was created by owner Anas “Andy” Shallal, an Iraqi-American artist, activist and restaurateur. After opening the flagship location at 14th and V Streets, NW (Washington, DC), the neighboring residents and the progressive community embraced Busboys, especially activists opposed to the Iraq War. Busboys and Poets is now located in six distinctive neighborhoods in the Washington Metropolitan area and is a community resource for artists, activists, writers, thinkers and dreamers.

The name Busboys and Poets refers to American poet Langston Hughes, who worked as a busboy at the Wardman Park Hotel in the 1920s, prior to gaining recognition as a poet. *from http://www.busboysandpoets.com